Sunday, July 29, 2012

Blake's Ready for a Little Sister

There are some things that our children do that make us go, "WOW!", followed by a lot of laughter. Yesterday, when I brought Blake to Toys R Us, it happened.

We have been telling Blake that he will be having a little sister, and he has to be gentle towards her when she arrives. Besides the fact that girls are usually not as rough as boys, our baby girl will be really tiny compared to him when she arrives! So what happened at Toys R Us really amazed me.

When we stepped into the store, the first thing Blake went to were the capsule stations, attempting to turn something out at each station that's within his reach. He ventured a little further in on his own and found a little dolly sitting on a toy pram. He went up to the dolly, and started to touch its face and talked to it. He then moved to the back of the pram and started to push it to where he wanted to go.


It was really amusing cos he would push the pram to the girl's toys section (a section he seldom ventures to), and place the little dolly right in front of some of the toys, and started looking at some of the toys. As if he decided the toys were not good enough, he would return to the little dolly and whisk her away to another section, stopping again and repeating the process.

At some points, he would stop to check on his little dolly, and once, attempted to pull out another dolly's (in a box) milk bottle, like as if though he wants to feed his little dolly some milk. He could not pull the milk bottle out and was a little annoyed, went back to check on his little dolly and pushed her off again. It was a really funny sight!

Here's a short video of whatever I managed to capture of Blake with his little dolly before the crowd came in.


P.S. Blake abandoned the little dolly and pram when Sean arrived (after buying some stationary). Haha!

P.P.S Do support and  'LIKE' my facebook page! :)

Friday, July 27, 2012

Tree & Bee Giveaway Results

The wait is over! Here are the results for the Tree & Bee Giveaway Contest!

Congratulations to

Aqua Auqa

"Love is a key that opens the heart of people. It teaches us acceptance, understanding and nurturing."

and

Jenny Soo

"Love means unconditional acceptance of another person and always seeing and believing the best in others :)"


I tried to contact both of you via Facebook, but I'm not able to do so through my facebook page.
Please kindly email me at amazinglystill@gmail.com to claim your prize. So sorry for the inconvenience caused!

To all my readers, do support and  'LIKE' my facebook page! I will do my best to update it as frequently as my blogging. It'll also be a great place to keep in touch with all of you! :)

Have a great weekend everyone! :D

Flashback Friday #3

24 April 2011: I have no idea how, but Blake fell asleep half-way through his lunch of semi-solid brown rice! Haha. I remember I was pretty amused by how one moment I was scooping up the brown rice for him, only to look up, and find him asleep. They fall asleep in an instant!





Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Eight Years and Counting

24th July is a very meaningful day to us. It’s held closer to our hearts than the day we got married. This was the very day Sean asked me to be his girlfriend, and I said yes. We committed ourselves to each other on this day, exactly eight years ago. We promised to standby each other 24/7.

From courtship to marriage to starting a family together, we have gone through many ups and downs together. Not forgetting many of our firsts too! I’m glad that both of us held onto this never-ending roller-coaster ride, screaming our lungs out in unison, staying by each other’s side, and becoming stronger and fearless as a couple J

Here’s a look through of the eight years, in pictures!


When we just started out, back in 2004.




After a year of courtship, we got married J

We got ourselves a pet dog, Paris, a year into marriage


First few years of marriage


Can’t remember which year exactly, but it should be between 2007 – 2008. The year Sean became a Mindef Reserve (MR). No more reservists (or ICTs, as they call it now)!

In 2009, we said goodbye to Sean’s first pet rabbit. Dusty was 7-8 years old.

I also graduated that year with a Bachelor in Mass Communication from Murdoch University. Sean was nothing short of being supportive throughout my entire academic years. So thankful to have him support me through it all!


Also taken in 2009, at Sentosa, before I entered the workforce

At the beginning of 2010, we had news of our pregnancy! J
This was taken about a month before Blake joined us.

And Blake came along in September 2010! J



Had a day to ourselves before 2010 ended.
Much needed then, but no longer required cos we prefer to spend the time together as a family now!

Just a short photo journey through our eight years together. I'm very sure that if our health permits, we'll be together, holding hands, and walking through another 80, 800, and many more years together!

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Racial Harmony Day

Friday, 20 July, marked Blake's first observance of Racial Harmony Day, and for me, from the parent's perspective :D

On Tuesday, 17 July, I was informed by Blake’s preschool via email that the school was going to celebrate Racial Harmony Day on the upcoming Friday, 20 July, and they hope to have every child attend school in traditional costume. I panicked. I only have 2 days to find a traditional costume for Blake, and I’m really picky when it comes to clothes! I even complained to Sean that the school should have given at least a week’s notice so that we can go hunting for these costumes!

The very next day, after my appointment at the gynecologist, I met up with Sean near his work place for lunch, and to look for the traditional costume in the area together until he had to return to work.

I then made my way to Bugis Junction to continue my search. I did not have much luck there, though I managed to shop for the husband. Haha.  After which, I made my way to Century Square after calling the Kiddy Palace outlet there to check if they still had traditional costumes for sale – I remember seeing some when I was there recently. The moment they said, “Yes, but limited stock”, I rushed over!

When I reached, I frantically looked for Blake’s size, only to find that they came in XS – M sizes, instead of sizes by age like 18 – 24 months, 2Y, 3Y etc. I was at a complete loss as to which size I should buy! The shop assistant advised me to get size S, but it looked too big to me, so I bought size XS instead.

When Blake tried it on that night itself, it fitted so well, he couldn’t move his neck after all the buttons were put together. Sigh. I should have listened to the shop assistant!

So the next day, the moment the store opened, I went to get it exchanged for size S. Fortunately, my boy fitted size S well, with space to grow into (hopefully, he will still be able wear it for the next Chinese New Year!), and there were a couple of size S left on the rack. The other big sizes were sold out overnight! Phew! Looks like I’m not the only parent rushing to buy traditional costume for their children for Racial Harmony Day! Hehe.

And now, pictures! :D


Good morning, sunshine!




One more before leaving for school! :D


Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Quarter of a Century Old

First order of business on the morning of my birthday, I made Blake take photos with me before sending him to school. Haha!






Yesterday was the first in all my life to celebrate my birthday without a birthday cake. It was pretty refreshing, if you ask me. And for some weird, unknown reason, I didn't really feel like eating cake! Perhaps the number two in me does not like cake. Hmm...

The day was pretty much normal. I spent the day teaching, and then doing some shopping (for myself, of cos!) before going to pick Blake up from school. This was when another first in all my life happened. I experienced a flat/punctured tyre.

I had borrowed my dad's car to pick Blake up in, thinking it might rain, and cos I wanted to avoid taking the bus during the peak hours. My youngest sister had came along to help me entertain Blake while I drove - that little boy can squirm, I tell you! We stopped to buy her some bubble tea, and on the way to Blake's pre-school, we heard a funny sound. We came up with all sorts of scenarios, and I told her I felt some drag when I'm turning the car, but we decided to ignore it cos we were freaking out.

We reached Blake's school, and just after I settled him into the car seat, we smelled something. Blake had poo-ed! At the same time, I saw the flat tyre! I told my sister to call my dad to seek his advice (my first time, you see), while I took Blake back into the school to have his diaper changed.

Bringing Blake back into the school made him cry a lot. He was probably thinking, "Why are you sending me back in? You just took me out! We're supposed to go home!" But I stayed with him the whole time, reassuring him again, and again, that we only went back in cos we needed to clean him up.

Once that was done, we went back to the car, where my sis said to drive to the nearest petrol station to get the flat tyre pumped. So we did a slow drive to the nearest petrol station I could think of.

When we got there, I immediately set the air pressure, and tried to pump the air into the tyre. But it was no use! Nothing was detected! Then a nice uncle came over, and told me that the car tyre looked really wrong, and that a simple air pump would not be enough. He then called the petrol station attendant (PSA) to assist me. PSA pressed some buttons on the machine, and pumped air back in for me (he had chosen the flat tyre function, which I knew nothing about). He then heard some funny sounds, and told me that I had a punctured tyre. He then directed me to the two nearest tyre shops. He was the only PSA at that time, and couldn't help me further as he had to return to pumping petrol for the other customers.

By the time we reached the tyre shop to get help, the punctured tyre was sort of deflated again. The mechanic took out the tyre to inspect.

Cause of punctured tyre: a nail driven all the way in, till its surface was even with the tyre.

He said he will do a simple repair for us on the tyre, which would get us home safely, and last through the next couple of days with ease. But, he said to get the tyres checked, and changed as soon as possible, for obvious safety reasons.

Throughout this whole episode, Blake remained in the backseat with my youngest sister, playing. So thankful for having him on his best behavior, else I really would not know how to get through this whole episode!

Came home, and rewarded Blake with tons of hugs and kisses. Then the husband came home, and we went out for a yummilicious dinner to celebrate my birthday! :D

Definitely one of the most memorable birthdays I'll ever have!





Sunday, July 15, 2012

My Pregnancy and Motherhood Style

My style has definitely changed from before I was pregnant, to when I had Blake, till now.


Photos from 2009

Before being pregnant with Blake, I wore whatever I wanted – mostly tight clothings, short shorts, tube tops and dresses. After I got pregnant, I started to wear looser clothing, and even attempted to purchase some maternity wear, which were all too big for me. So I gave up, and bought dresses and tops that flared out, and are not fitted tightly. Not only will I be able to wear them when I’m pregnant, I can still wear them after I give birth! No wastage at all! J

The only consistent item in my entire wardrobe is my trusty pair of havaianas, and a pair of flats which I will usually buy after I have confirmed I am pregnant (this time round, it’s a pair from Hush Puppies), for formal events and work. This pair is to replace all the heels and wedges that I would not be able to wear during pregnancy.

Anyway, I was thinking about clothes and photos the other day, and how when I was carrying Blake, I managed to take some nice snapshots of my pregnant self, at home and out. I quite enjoyed being able to look back on how I looked when I was pregnant.



Photos from 2010

But with baby number two, I hardly have any photos of my pregnant self, except some unglamorous ones taken at the swimming pool. So I decided to do a mini-DIY-photoshoot at home, while Blake was at school!

I picked out some of my current favourite pieces – some old, some new – and found a spot in the house (away from all the mess!) to set up my camera gorillapod, and the DIY photoshoot was on!

Smart-Casual/Work Dresses:


(L to R) from Lexi Lyla and Love, Bonito

Casual Dresses:


Both from Outfitter Girls


(L to R) FOX Fashion and Love, Bonito

Maxi Dresses:


(L to R) FOX Fashion and Love, Bonito

Other than dresses, I sometimes wear jeans and shorts for gatherings and work. No images for shorts though.


Top from Love, Bonito and Jeans from Levi’s

And, that marks the abrupt end of this post. Hahaha!!J